3 G’s of Focus: Guide, Government and God

Nigeria as been time and times described as a country of either the very rich or the poor, no middle class. One can argue that a growing middle class is now springing up as the country sets its sight on industrialization and economic diversification thereby given rise to more jobs (white and blue collar) and a fast growing entrepreneurial culture. Another school of thought would ask you to go see the names of the people breaking through in this new entrepreneurial wind and getting the big IT jobs; all these names are too familiar, their parents, uncles, relatives were/are kind of influential. You could go to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to see the tonnes of companies created a day, get the addresses and then go to the location to see how many are really functional and you would be dumbfounded with the result.

The duties of the government can be summarized as the formation of human capabilities and the creation and maintenance of an environment that enables all the individuals of a society to flourish on their own and to contribute to nation-building. One can reasonably *argue* with prove that this description of the duty of the government does not hold in Nigeria. With no electricity to run businesses, how do you say that an environment for business to flourish has been created? With nepotism, tribalism and godfatherism being the order of the day, how can you say that all individuals benefit from our government? If at the end of a well worked interview in any ministry in Nigeria, you are asked to write the name of whom you know on your sheet, interviews are no longer made public for all to apply and outcome is foreknown before the interview process.  With all these foundations laid, it could be inferred that the same people that the 1st G failed would likely be failed by the 2nd G. So what if, who then do they look up to? Simply the 3rd G.

The ever faithful, ever-sure, immaculate, all providing God becomes our next focus, we turn to him for a miracle, for provision, for help when other G’s have failed us. I heard someone praying to God for good leaders and she doesn’t have a PVC, people pray to God for good roads as if God works in a construction company or He’s the local government chairman, we now pray to God for what’s supposed to be the function of the  first two G’s and after a while of praying with no change, we ask if God exists in Nigeria. I know how picky you are when this subject is discussed, I am equally picky and thus, I leave you to expound on the 3rd G yourself.

To build a nation, it is very important that an integrated system evolves on Guide, Government and God. The fact is this, these elements are enablers and critical for the functioning of any national ecosystem. Failures of nations happen at home (Guide) and when the Guide fails, it is always hard for Government to thrive because the system from Guide sustains the Government. Similarly, unless Guide and Government are in equilibrium, the distortion of the third G can happen.